Plastic sign kit

ABSTRACT

A restrictive sign designed primarily for use on golf courses to designate restricted areas comprising a signboard for containing an inscription conveying certain information or instructions and an associated mounting stake for supporting the sign and a cord adapted to be extended between two or more stakes and held in slip-free relation on each stake to define areas to be avoided. The signboard is removably mounted on the stakes for ready interchangeability and the board and stake include interengaging means maintaining their cooperative relationship while the stake has stop means to support the signboard at a desired elevation and a reinforced surface for use in pounding the stake into the golf course. The design of the signboard and mounting stake is such as to lend itself to manufacture in impact resisting molded plastic which may be of a conspicuous color.

I United States Patent [191 Ferris 1 tan. 15, 1974 PLASTIC SIGN KIT [75] Inventor: Robert C. Ferris, Chicago, 111.

[73] Assignee: Coursigns, Inc, Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Sept. 25, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 291,789

[52] US. Cl. 116/63 R, 40/10 R, 40/145 R,

52/103 [51] llnt. Cl lEOlf 9/10 [58] Field of Search 116/63 R, 63 P;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,787 9/1931 Slawson 40/10 C 2,796,667 6/1957 Baker 40/10 R X- FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 829,678 4/1938 France 350/97 574,578 3/1958 Italy 116/63 Primary ExaminerLouis .l. Capozi Attorney-Mann, Brown, McWilliams & Bradway 5 7 ABSTRACT y and the board and stake include interengaging means maintaining their cooperative relationship while the stake has stop means to support the signboard at a desired elevation and a reinforced surface for use in pounding the stake into the golf course. The design of the signboard and mounting stake is such as to lend itself to manufacture in impact resisting molded plastic which may be of a conspicuous color.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures .unuh

PLASTIC SIGN KIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore, on golf courses, it has been necessary to drive wooden or metal stakes into the grounds to support signs, usually wooden signboards, to indicate restricted areas where it may be necessary, at least temporarily, for vehicles as well as golfers to avoid such areas. With the advent of golf carts for transporting golfers and their equipment around golf courses, it has become increasingly important to control the movements especially of the carts in rder to protect highly vulnerable areas of the courses against the heavy loads and abuses of this traffic. It is especially important to direct the golf cartsaway from being driven on the greens, or in wet areas, or on worn areas, or over newly seeded or sodded areas, since the weight of the carts and the churning of the wheels can be very injurious to the playing surfaces, especially during those seasons of the year when the grounds may be subject to adverse weather conditions at which times they may be sensitive to traffic conditions that would be damaging if allowed to continue for indefinite periods in fixed patterns without the possibility of varying the traffic patterns. I-leretofore, the carts have, at times, congregated in certain grounds areas, thus concentrating'the damagedone in these particular spots.

The present invention affords an economical means to avoid these problems by providing kits comprised of a plurality of plastic signboards containing various inscriptions such as CARTS KEEP OFF, NEWLY SEEDED, NO CARTS, DROP AREA, GROUNDS UNDER REPAIR, etc., and a length ofline or cord for extending between and connecting a number of such stakes, certain of which will be equipped with the signboards bearing the inscription necessary to direct the traffic as desired. The signboards, stakes and cord are made in a conspicuous color such as yellow or orange for easy visibility and are easily set up or moved to relocate areas to be avoided or to change the teeing locations to prevent excessive damage from divots.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The primary purpose of the invention is to provide a kit of readily assembled and disassembled parts comprised of stakes, signboards and line for roping off certain areas of a golf course to direct golfers and golf carts according to conditions that may vary from time to time and thus necessitating ready changing or realignment of the signs and stakes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide ruggedly constructed stakes and signboards manufactured from a highly colored suitable impact resistant molded plastic that is weather resistant and strong but is such that it will not damage golf course mowing equipment if-it should be run over by such equipment.

means slidable onto a stake member in interengaged relationship therewith and supported on a stop included on the stake.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing objects and other important objects of the invention are attained by the signboard and stake kit illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view adjacent a tee area on a golf course showing the restrictive sign and stake mounting arrangement of this invention in a place to direct golf carts away from the tee area;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view to larger scale of the mounting stake and signboard;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the mounting stake, shown in greater scale, with the removable signboard in place and illustrated in vertical section with the line cord extended through the stake and secured in the upwardly opening serrated notch;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view, to the same scale as FIG. 3, showing the removal mounting of the signboard on the stake with the line cord disposed through the stake and reversed through the open notch for securement and having portions of the board and stake broken away;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of fragmentary portions of the signboard and stake indicating the vertically sliding assembly relationship of the two parts; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the assembled signboard and supporting stake showing the interlocking sliding relationship and illustrating the top driving pad for pounding the stake into the ground.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention contemplates a plastic sign kit for use by golf courses to control the movements particularly of golf carts for directing the carts away from areas of the course to be protected such as greens, tee areas, sodded or newly seeded areas, worn areas and wet grounds. The kit includes a number of stakes and a number of signboards as well as a length of rope or cord allfabricated from plastic and of the same bright color. The stakes maybedriven into the grounds around the areato be restricted and connected by the line cord thus to rope off a particular area. Signboards may be slidingly mounted on certain of the stakes to indicate the purpose of the restriction or to indicate direction to be taken or areas for parking golf carts. The stakes are designed for ready assembly of the line cord therewith and for anchoring the cord readily at the end stakes. A driving pad is provided at the top end of the stake for pounding it into the grounds and a support surface is provided for carrying the signboard at a proper height on the stake. The printed signboard is provided with integral guide brackets slidingly engageable with the stake and also engageable with the supporting stop surface on the stake to maintain the sign at the proper height.

The parts of the kit may be made from a plastic material having the general properties of polystyrene or polypropylene and may incorporate an integral color which might be a bright yellow for ready visibility or an orange color or it might be made in a more or less natural white. color. The line cord may be made of braided polypropylene. These materials are suggested by way of examples and may be replaced by other suitable materials in the general field of plastics where it may be desired or another material having similar properties may be preferred.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown generally in FIG. 1 the sign mounting arrangement of this invention is intended primarily for use on golf courses and, as indicated, may be used adjacent to a tee area to direct golf carts away from such area or it can be used at any other area of the course where it may be necessary to restrict the movements ofthe golf carts or golfers to keep them off of any portions of the grounds where it may be best that they be required to avoid these areas for some reason such as soft or wet grounds, or newly seeded or sodded areas to protect these areas temporarily while undergoing renewal or repairs.

The sign arrangement includes a stake l1 and a signboard 12 together with a line cord 13. These three elements are assembled in kit form for supplying golf courses, country clubs, or the like, and the kits are proposed as a means of furnishing a quantity or supply of the parts in accordance with the needs of each purchaser. A typical kit might include two hundred fifty stakes, one hundred signboards of various types and possibly two thousand feet of matching line cord. The signboards may be supplied with inscriptions such as Winter Rules, Off Limits,'or any such restrictive indication as may be necessary according to the conditions to be provided for.

The stake 11 is of T-section having a stem or web 14 and oppositely extending flanges l5 and 16 and the web 14 is tapered adjacent the bottom of the stake, as at 17, to provide a pointed or sharp bottom end for ready penetration of the ground. The web 14 of the stake may be provided with lightening openings 18 to eliminate material not essential to the functioning of the stake. Each of the oppositely extending flanges and 16 is provided with an integrally formed supporting stop 19 projecting rearwardly from the back side of the respective flanges. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that these stops 19 support the signboard 12 on the stake 11 as will be described hereinafter.

At the top end of the stake 11 a driving pad 20 is formed integrally with the web or stem 14 and is disposed horizontally or perpendicularto the web to provide a surface by means of which the stake may be pounded into the ground or if the condition of the ground is such that the stake might be pushed into the ground the pad 20 affords a surface upon which the necessary pressure may be applied. The pad 20 is stabilized and reinforced on the top edge of the web 14 by means of underlying gusset members 21 integrally formed with the pad and stem and which are disposed at right angles to the web upon opposite sides thereof so that the pad is supported and stiffened against forces which otherwise might exert a tendency to displace the driving pad to one side or the other of the web 14.

An opening 22 is provided through the upper area of the rearwardly extending stem 14 of the stake for the passage of the line cord 13 therethrough particularly at the endmost stakes in a grouping. At the end stakes the cord 13 is passed through this opening 22 and doubled back through an open notch 23 on the rear edge of the Stem 14 securely to fasten the cord in place, as best shown in FIG. 4. The notch 23 is formed by an integral member 24 extending outwardly and upwardly from the rear edge of the stem 14, as best shown in FIG. 3.

The member 24 provides an inclined inner wall surface 25 in opposed spaced relation to the rear edge surface of the stem 14 thus forming a tapered opening or notch for the reception of the cord 13. The line cord is securely retained in the notch 23 by means of teeth or serrations 26 which may be disposed on either the surface 25 or the rear edge surface of the stem 14 but, as shown, are indicated as being disposed integral with the rear edge of the stem 14. A rearwardly extending projection 27 on the stem 14 underlies the driving pad 20 and is spaced above the notch forming member 24 to overlie the upwardly opening notch thus necessitating the cord 13 to be entered into the notch first by a horizontal movement inwardly and then downwardly into the valley of the notch against the teeth 26.

It will be noted that these teeth 26 are sloped generally downwardly to permit easy entrance of the cord 13 into the notch 23 but resist upward movement of the cord and thereby prevent its unintentional escape from securement between the teeth and the opposing wall 25. At the endmost stakes the line cord is doubly secured by passing the cord through the web opening 22 and then doubling the cord back through the notch 23, but at all of the intermediate stakes in the grouping it is necessary only to enter the line cord into notch 23 of each stake where it is retained by the action of the serrations or teeth 26. Thus the grouping may readily and quickly be set up for immediate use without delay.

The signboard 12 is provided with a generally flat surface or face 30 upon which any desired inscription may be applied. The kits hereinbefore referred are each furnished with a variety of signboards which afford a user a wide choice of inscriptions suitable to various needs. The signboard is removable from the stake 1 1 and is easily assembled therewith by sliding the signboard over the upper end of the stake where it is supported on the rearwardly projecting stop members 19 formed on the rear face of each of the stake flanges 15 and 16. The sliding relationship between the signboard and stake is such as to provide for easy assembly and disassembly and affords an interlocked engagement therebetween when assembled. The assembly thus is always maintained in proper relationship with the stake for correct disposition of the sign on the golf course to insure readability of the inscription.

The signboard 12, as best shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, incorporates similar pairs of guide brackets 31 disposed in spaced relation at respectively top and bottom edges of the signboard. These guide brackets are spaced apart by a distance dictated by the width of the head of the stake as measured the combined dimensions of the flanges 15, 16 at opposite sides of the stem 14. The spaced upper guide brackets 31 extend upwardly above the top edge of the signboard and the lower guide brackets 31 depend downwardly below the bottom edge of the signboard.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the guide brackets project rearwardly of the rear face of the signboard 12 as at 32 and these rearwardly projecting portions 32 then are provided with inwardly directed opposed flanges 33 which engage behind the rear faces of the stake flanges l5 and 16 to provide an embracing engagement securely maintaining the in square relationship of the signboard and stake. The rear face of the signboard 12 bears on the front surface of the head of the T-section stake and with the flanges 33 bearing on the rear faces of the flanges 15, 16 while the rearwardly extending bracket portions 32 bear on the side edges of the flanges 15, 16 at both the top and bottom of the signboard it will be seen that a sliding guideway is formed on the signboard for receiving the stake in closely guided sliding relationship.

The inwardly directed flanges 33 at the bottom of the signboard come to rest on the supporting stop members 19 on the stake 11 to position the signboard at the top end of the stake where it will be properly spaced above the ground level when the pointed bottom end 17 of the stake is driven into the ground. The signboard slides freely on the upper end stake portion so that it may readily be removed and slides easily onto the stake where a group of stakes has been set up to restrict a particular area. When the stakes have been driven into the ground and the line cord installed in the notches on intermediate stakes and secured at the end stakes by entering the cord through the opening 22 and then double the end of the cord back through the notch at each such stake it is only necessary then to select one or more signboards bearing the desired inscriptions and slide the guide brackets over the top end of theselected stakes where the signboards will be supported at the proper height above ground by the support members 19 on the stakes.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a restrictive signboard kit most useful on golf courses including readily driven stakes and easily mounted removable signboards and a connecting line cord all made from suitable plastic materials which may be in color and which may easily be set up for use in any grouping desired and just as easily taken down when the need therefor no longer exists.

What is claimed is:

l. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and a pre-determined length of cord, said signboard having means slidably interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said cord, said signboard and stake being mounted from plastic material having the general properties of polystyrene, said signboard beingprovided with a pair of spaced guide brackets adjacent respectively top and bottom edges of the signboard, the back side of said signboard bearing on a face of said stake and said guide brackets each engaging a back side of the stake and a side edge of the stake, and said guide brackets adjacent the bottom edge of the signboard each engaging a said stop surface means on said stake.

2. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and a predetermined length of cord, said signboard having means slidingly interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said cord, said signboard and stake being molded from plastic material having the general properties of polystyrene, said means attaching said cord on the stake comprising a vertically open notch having a toothed side wall portion and an inclined wall in opposed relation to said toothed side wall, said stake being fabricated in a T-shaped cross section having a stem and oppositely extending flanges, and said notch is formed on the rear edge portion of said stem.

3. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said signboard, stake and predetermined length of cord are fabricated from plastic material having similar integral color.

4. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said notch is formed by an integral member having an inclined wall surface in opposed spaced relation to the rear edge surface of said stem and said toothed side wall portion is formed on one of said surfaces.

5. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 wherein an opening is provided through said stem for passage of said cord, said opening being located adjacent to said notch.

6. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 including a driving pad surface on the top end of said stake and a reinforcing gusset underlying said driving pad integrally connecting the underside of the driving pad with opposite sides of said stem.

7. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 6 wherein the stem of said T-section stake includes an integral rearward extending projection underlying said driving pad and overlying the opening to said notch. 

1. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and a pre-determined length of cord, said signboard having means slidably interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said cord, said signboard and stake being molded from plastic material having the general properties of polystyrene, said signboard being provided with a pair of spaced guide brackets adjacent respectively top and bottom edges of the signboard, the back side of said signboard bearing on a face of said stake and said guide brackets each engaging a back side of the stake and a side edge of the stake, and said guide brackets adjacent the bottom edge of the signboard each engaging a said stop surface means on said stake.
 2. A sign kit for golf courses including a signboard, a stake, and a predetermined length of cord, said signboard having means slidingly interengaging with said stake, and said stake having stop surface means supporting said signboard and means attaching said cord, said signboard and stake being molded from plastic material having the general properties of polystyrene, said means attaching said cord on the stake comprising a vertically open notch having a toothed side wall portion and an inclined wall in opposed relation to said toothed side wall, said stake being fabricated in a T-shaped cross section having a stem and oppositely extending flanges, and said notch is formed on the rear edge portion of said stem.
 3. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said signboard, stake and predetermined length of cord are fabricated from plastic material having similar integral color.
 4. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 2 wherein said notch is formed by an integral member having an inclined wall surface in opposed spaced relation to the rear edge surface of said stem and said toothed side wall portion is formed on one of said surfaces.
 5. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 wherein an opening is provided through said stem for passage of said cord, said opening being located adjacent to said notch.
 6. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 4 including a driving pad surface on the top end of said stake and a reinforcing gusset underlying said driving pad integrally connecting the underside of the driving pad with opposite sides of said stem.
 7. A sign kit for golf courses as set forth in claim 6 wherein the stem of said T-section stake includes an integral rearward extending projection underlying said driving pad and overlying the opening to said notch. 